Special options pathways

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Twenty five additional special options pathways will be established in schools and preschools across the state as part of a $10m strategy aimed at creating and improving services for children and young people with disability.

Major upgrades will be undertaken at Gawler District College and Blakeview Primary throughout next year to accommodate disability unit classes.

This investment will provide improved opportunities for early intervention and access to additional education pathways in their local area.

Determining the location of the options

Extensive consultations were undertaken to identify areas of high demand and where special options pathways could be improved.

Both Department for Education and external data along with feedback from schools, preschools, student support services and local education offices helped to determine where the new special options pathways would provide the most benefit.

Data that was considered included recommended vs actual placement, statewide maps, primary disability impairment types, levels of support (by both site enrolment and geographical suburb), special options enrolment capacity and facilities as well as birth rates and demographics.

Education regions were asked to submit proposals for new special option pathways. These proposals were considered by an internal committee to determine their feasibility and when they could be implemented.

Factors such as demand for places, part time vs full time, facilities, student needs and existing pathways were taken into consideration.

Eligibility

The special class, disability unit or special school placement process is used to determine enrolments in special options. For further information about the process and the eligibility criteria used to access an option, please contact your school or preschool.

Placement in a special option will be dependent on available vacancies and student priority and offers will be made before the start of the 2017 school year. Children and young people whose placements changed in term 3 and 4 this year will be given priority.

Student Support Services and schools will work with the families of children and young people who are not placed with a special option to ensure they are supported with appropriate curriculum and resourcing within a mainstream setting.

Students currently participating in a special class, unit or at a special school will be able to request to transfer to a new option from 2018.

The Students with Disability Additional Pathways Strategy is part of the South Australian School and Preschool Staff Enterprise Agreement which was introduced in May 2016. The additional funding for the Learning Difficulties Grant (LDG) and the Preschool Support Program were provided to schools and preschools in June 2016 and the $5m for the new special option pathways will be allocated before June 2017.